Special Report: Where Might Wilton’s 1,100 New Apartments Be Built?

More than 1,000 apartment units have either been built, approved or proposed in a four-mile stretch of Wilton in recent years. The boom in development is a follow-through on some of the central goals laid out in the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development. In 2022, during the Wilton Center Master Plan process, consultants at Urbanomics presented a market analysis concluding that if Wilton wants to see local retail thrive, the town will need to increase residential development, especially around its downtown areas. And last year, the Wilton Housing Committee held a panel discussion outlining the challenges facing Wilton’s housing stock.

Although several projects are in the works, only two have been completed so far, which makes the scope of the development rush challenging to grasp. GOOD Morning Wilton presents the following as a point of reference for residents who have heard about a wave of apartment construction but aren’t sure where they are located, or where in the process of review and approval each project stands.

Greater Wilton Center

The largest cluster of new and proposed apartments is centered around the Wilton Center area, between the Wilton train station and the Stop & Shop/Kimco property, and along the adjacent strip of Danbury Rd./Rte. 7.

So far, two projects totaling 114 units have been approved (although one appears stalled); two projects totaling 376 units are currently being reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission; one project with 10 units has completed pre-application review but has not yet been formally submitted; and a sixth project with 24 units is just beginning its pre-application process. Together, the total is 524 units across roughly 3/4 of a mile.

Approved/Under Construction/Completed:

• 300 Danbury Rd./Wilton Heights
  • 74 units (all 2BR apartments), plus 23,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, spread across three four-story buildings
  • Background: after 10 months of design review and multiple revisions, the project was approved in 2019 but never built
  • What’s next: The project is on hold while the owner seeks a developer to either build or revisit the approved project plan. In February, the owner’s representative explained the delay to P&Z while requesting an extension of the approval. The Town later determined that legally the project is entitled to an extension of up to 19 years. In November, the Board of Selectmen approved an ordinance that extended Wilton’s blight regulations to residential properties, citing 300 Danbury Rd. as one example.
• 12 Godfrey Pl./Wilton Center Lofts
  • 40 units (four 1BR, five 1BR+den, eight 2BR, nine 2BR+den, four 2BR, six 3BR, four 3BR duplex)
  • Background: After a contentious process in which architect/developer Richard Granoff clashed with P&Z over delays related to the Wilton Center Master Plan, Granoff withdrew the original design and resubmitted the project using the 8-30g affordable housing statute. P&Z reluctantly approved the proposal rather than reject it and face legal action. As part of the conversion to 8-30g, the project added a fifth story, increased the number of units from 32 to 40, and tripled the percentage of affordable units to 30%.
  • What’s next: The project is currently under construction and appears to have completed the demolition process.

Under Review:

• 15 Old Danbury Rd./Toll Brothers
  • 207 units (12 Junior-1BR, 70 1BR, 93 2BR, 33 3BR) across two five-story buildings connected by a central atrium.
  • Background: the project’s pre-application review concluded in February with positive, non-binding reactions from P&Z
  • What’s next: The project was formally submitted for review in April. The Village District Design Advisory Committee (VDDAC) began its review last week, which GMW will report on soon.
• 15-21 River Rd./Kimco
  • 169 units, plus 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail, across two buildings. The building along River Rd. would be five stories tall and the one set further back on the property would be four stories.
  • Background: During the project’s latest pre-applications hearings earlier this year, it was warmly received by P&Z but met with more skepticism at VDDAC.
  • What’s next: After multiple rounds of pre-application hearings and other unofficial feedback from P&Z and VDDAC, the project was formally submitted for review in April. Like 15 Old Danbury Rd., it was heard at VDDAC last week and will be covered in GMW shortly.

Proposed/Pre-Application

• 118 Old Ridgefield Rd. 
  • 24 units, a mix of 1BR, 2BR and 3BR, plus 1,400 square feet of ground floor retail in a four-story building
  • Background: Materials for the project were just submitted in April and the project has not yet been discussed. The developer/architect is Richard Granoff, who is also behind nearby 12 Godfrey Pl.
  • What’s Next: The project is expected to begin its pre-application hearing at P&Z this Monday, May 13.
• 254 Danbury Rd./Former Baptist Church
  • 10 units, spread across four 2.5-story buildings, one of which is the adaptive reuse of the former Baptist Church
  • Background: In September 2022, owner/architect William D. Earls presented the project to P&Z in a pre-application hearing that yielded high praise.
  • What’s Next: The project has not yet been formally submitted.

Danbury Rd. South Corridor

Wilton Center may have the most units proposed but the build out of lower Rte. 7 is considerably further along. This area features two new multi-family development projects that have already come online, with one completed last year and another open for leasing at the end of this month.

So far, two projects totalling 197 units have been completed; one project appears to be headed for approval next week with an additional 208 units; and a fourth is in the midst of review at P&Z and the Inland Wetlands Commission with a final 93 units. Together, the total would be 498 apartments in an area just over a mile long.

Approved/Under Construction/Completed

• 200 Danbury Rd./Sharp Hill Square
  • 24 units (a mix of studio, 1BR and 2BR) with 7,256 square feet of ground floor retail across two buildings. One building is a new three-story building and the other is the adaptive reuse of the historic Raymond Morehouse House, which is now home to Nova Cafe.
  • Background: The project was approved in June 2020 following an extensive review and analysis about the impact it might have on nearby wetlands.
  • What’s next: The complex opened for tenants in 2022.
• 141 Danbury Rd./Riverside Wilton
  • 173 units (40 1BR, four 1BR+den, 106 2BR, seven 2BR+den, 14 3BR) in a 4.5-story building
  • Background: The project was approved in Nov. 2021 after extensive architectural and wetlands review. Some residents expressed concerns about the size of the project and the degree of public involvement in the review process. The project sits on the site of the former Melissa & Doug Corporate Office.
  • What’s next: The project opened for tenants this spring and is currently signing leases.

Under Review:

• 131 Danbury Rd.
  • 208 units (95 1BR, 105 2BR, eight 3BR) in a 4.5-story building
  • Background: The Inland Wetlands Commission tried unsuccessfully to flag “significant concerns” about damage to the Norwalk River during flood conditions. Last month, the project team made a last-minute change to the driveways on the site after the Wilton Police Department and state authorities raised safety concerns about traffic along this increasingly crowded strip of Danbury Rd./Rte. 7
  • What’s next: The project is expected to be approved by P&Z this Monday, May 13.
• 64 Danbury Rd.
  • 93 units (31 1bBR, 24 2BR, 31 2BR+den, seven 3BR) across eight three-story buildings
  • Background: The project has come under fire at the Inland Wetlands Commission for two buildings that require cutting into the slope and clearing a heavily wooded area. Last week at P&Z, the applicant’s project team presented a somewhat rosy portrait of the other commission’s review findings.
  • What’s next: The project will be back at the Inland Wetlands Commission on Thursday, May 9 and the public comment portion of the public hearing is expected to open during the Monday, May 13 meeting of P&Z.

Cannondale

Decidedly sleepier than its neighboring hot spots to the south, Cannondale has nonetheless been a target for new multi-family development as well. The 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development identifies Cannondale as a potential location for growth in mixed-use residential/commercial development, albeit with lower densities than the Plan envisions for Wilton Center. It also calls for the creation of a Cannondale Master Plan, which has not yet kicked off.

Two projects have recently been proposed for Cannondale, though they met with very different reactions from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The first is a reuse of an existing property, returning the site to its original residential use. The other was an attempt at an 8-30g project that was derailed by sewer access restrictions.

Approved/Under Construction/Completed:

• 523 and 529 Danbury Rd./White Fences-Warriors Group
  • 9 units (one 1BR, five 2BR, three 3BR)
  • Background: In 2022, the owners of the site came to P&Z with a plan to renovate two existing buildings that had recently been used as office space and return them to residential use. The project went through the Architectural Review Board and P&Z with positive feedback.
  • What’s next: The site is currently under construction as part of its renovation into multi-family housing.

Proposed:

• 19 Cannon Rd.
  • 70 units (38 1BR, 32 2BR) in a 3.5 story building
  • Background: The project was reviewed in 2022 but ultimately withdrawn by the applicant ahead of a vote by P&Z. The Commission was not yet at the stage of reviewing the project itself, but was tasked by the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) with weighing in on the site’s sewer connection request. P&Z, WPCA, and the Historic Districts and Historic Properties Commission had all expressed concern about the size of the project in the context of Cannondale.
  • What’s next: The inability to connect to sewer has seemed to halt the project in place, at least for now…

Looking Ahead

In the four years since the POCD was adopted, the balances and trade-offs of initiating a significant increase in housing density have come into focus. One pending application, 131 Danbury Rd., encapsulates many of these difficult choices.

• Wilton’s sewers are nearing the discharge cap set by the town of Norwalk, a matter the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) will have to grapple with in negotiations with Wilton’s neighbor to the south. In March, the WPCA effectively paused commercial development in town to discuss how to handle the looming limit, as applications for new sewer extensions for multi-family residential complexes piled up. In April, with mounting pressure from developers to get projects moving again, the first new applications in months were approved, starting with 131 Danbury Rd.
• Traffic along Danbury Rd. remains a hot topic. This month, the Wilton Police Department and the Connecticut Office of the State Traffic Administration intervened to restrict 131 Danbury Rd. to just one entrance/exit driveway, citing safety concerns about the growing number of curb cuts along this section of Danbury Rd. The traffic study conducted for the project indicated that even with two operating driveways, the site would score an F for traffic flow, meaning each vehicle would have a wait time of 80 seconds or greater to exit the property during peak hours. However, representatives for the applicant contend that this traffic will mainly be contained within the project site, not on Danbury Rd. itself.
• Nearly every development site large enough to sustain a multi-family residential complex includes either wetlands or a nearby regulated area, and several abut the Norwalk River itself. In the case of 131 Danbury Rd., the Inland Wetlands Commission flagged a series of “significant concerns” about damage to the Norwalk River from the site during flood conditions, but P&Z appeared to either misunderstand or disregard the memo, brushing off the topic. A nearby project, 64 Danbury Rd., is currently in the midst of a fairly contentious peer review process at the Inland Wetlands Commission, which P&Z seemed not to appreciate fully during a hearing with the applicant last week.
• Finally, the topic of school seats and class capacity is a frequent concern in public comments submitted to P&Z. In presenting to the Commission, the applicant team behind 131 Danbury Rd. estimated that the 208 new residential units would add approximately 20 new students to Wilton schools.

Earlier this year, as debates over sewer capacity grew, the Board of Selectmen grappled with the state of the POCD and its goals. First Selectman Toni Boucher mentioned that she had heard “an earful” from residents opposed to new housing developments. Indeed, even during the POCD development process, surveys of public opinion showed the Wilton community split over whether an influx of rental properties would benefit the town.

As part of the effort to take stock of the POCD four years after its adoption, a new committee has been formed under the purview of the Planning and Zoning Commission — the Plan Implementation Committee — to explore progress on the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). During BOS discussions about revisiting and reacquainting themselves with the POCD itself, Boucher underscored the need for community involvement.

“The entire public should be invited,” she said. “Not just an insular group of members of various boards that often speak to themselves, versus listening to the public.”

An earlier version of the story cut off the last seven paragraphs due to an editing error. It has been updated to correct the omission.

The article has been updated to correct the size of retail space offered on the first floor of 300 Danbury Rd. It is 23,000 square feet, not 1,000 square feet.